Artown closed last night with the Funk Brothers show at Wingfield Park.
And, Reno’s annual event, catered for Time Travelers from the past, essentially began last night with first signs of the arriving Time Travelers in the very ancient Celtic Forest set in modern day Reno (site of a vortex or tear in the “fabric” of time/space).
After a day focused on developing some campaign resources for Byllie’s upcoming Assembly campaign, I went out for a relaxing walk a little past 10 last night….and a half block from home noticed that Amendment 21 had some delightful happenings in the space outside their establishment. This morning I looked up the information about what that was all about. Turns out that on the evening of July 18th many communities from around the world had fundraising benefits for Burners Without Borders. And, in Reno, that was staged at Amendment 21 (where admittance into the fenced off area was $15, or $10 with a donation of eyeglasses).
After checking that scene out, I continued on my walk and came across a second surprise: the Celtic Forest was aflame and music reverberating through it (thanks to David Bobzien again). Assemblyman Bobzien explained that the two happenings, the one at Amendment 21 and at Celtic Forest, were planned to be, as he put it, “crosspollinating”. (Amendment 21 was providing free shuttles to the nearby Forest.)
And, into the Celtic Forest:
David doing his last (for awhile anyway) DJ stint at Celtic Forest
For the last week or so I have been looking forward to the “Downtown Reno Comic and Sci-Fi Arts Festival”, scheduled to have started at 11am at Amendment 21 Grill and Sports Bar. Well, the place was just being opened up then and it was explained to me that the owner felt people wouldn’t be showing up till 5pm, so I returned at that time. Still nothing apparent going on. (And, nothing of real note at almost 6pm either, except for a few people in Superhero costumes and someone with video games or something.) But…..I decided that I was not going to go without a Comic and Sci-Fi Festival, so I went home a created my own!
One of my prized possessions is Tom Veitch’s four part The Nazz series. I took them out and read them for awhile, letting the powerful lessons of the Michael Nazareth story sink in (likely inspired by that guy Bubba Free John, aka a million other names until the final one, Adi Da Samraj….someone who was once a “Guru” to me and also Tom).
And, then I turned on the Sci Fi channel (now SyFy!), to watch a Dinosaur type monster terrorize a city (and this lady, barely escaping in this scene):
Anyway, I did go out again, having enjoyed my little own Festival celebrating the graphic novel arts and science fiction film and was pleased to find that Reno was being visited (and clearly made safer on a Saturday night) by an influx of Superheros! For example, Ace Market on the corner of 2nd and West will undoubtly have few problems tonight, thanks to:
And, order will be maintained on Arlington Street:
And, I came across the beginning of the shift meeting where the Superheros were being assigned their beats for the night:
One Superhero had my back covered, so to speak, when reporting to me that the zipper to one of the pockets in my backpack was unzipped:
And, finally there was Banana Man already on duty….making sure none of us slipped on the moist streets (it was lightly showering):
I completely enjoyed every single piece of art hanging on the walls at this gallery. And, took detailed notes on each of the works (which I will just give a summary idea of here). (I didn’t take notes on the sculpted pieces and ceramic pieces on the shelves. But, they were likewise stunning.)
First, some shots of a few of the artists:
Erik Holland talking with Ann O'Lear.
Patti Woodard
And, the names of the artists whose works I saw there today. (Sorry if I missed anyone!)
~Bart McCoy; oil on board; The Prophet
~Wes Lee; drawing; Peace That We Would Find and a piece whose title I forgot to write down because it was of a beautiful young woman in the nude.
~Patti Woodard; pastel; Dance of Spring and The Guile of Black Glove
~Christopher Blum; photography; three pieces
~Erik Holland; two oil on canvas and one watercolor; Virginia Street Bridge, Reno Court House and Mizpah Hotel
~Ann O’ Lear; drawing (charcoal); Second Gun, Henry, Sheriff
~Zoltan Janvary; printmaking; The Ancestral Path, Dramas II, Queens of Heart
~Andy Jaeger; one oil on canvas and on acrylic on canvas; Portrait, Lake of Fire and Fry
~Buz Schott; oil on canvas; A Midtown Madonna, Tea with Hindenberg
~Candace Nicol; printmaking; Love Crosses Borders, Aphrodite’s Shoes, iamgirl, After the Smoke
The several times I checked in at this Gallery, right next to The Century Theater by the river, the place was full with everyone enjoying the art work there.
David Bobzien, an adept DJ with an intense focus and an offering of great sounds (ALBEIT NOT CELTIC!), provided music for the second Friday night celebrations in the Celtic Forest.
And, I finally got it right in photographing the flaming trees and Raven Book (by not panning in and thus having blurred pics as a result).
And, while the music plays, there are many folks rolling on and in the river. The concerts start at 5pm, with local and regional bands playing, and then when it gets dark, movies are played. (Tonight it will be that old classic with Cary Grant in “North by Northwest”.)
Now, when it’s hot and I’m going to be down by the river, I have my swim shorts on underneath the shorts or pants I’m wearing, just in case. Today I decided to capture an authentic “rolling on the river” scene from within the river (hoping that I didn’t somehow drop the camera in the river and electrocuting myself and the nearby children).
here I'm in the south channel of the river (where Wingfield Park splits the river up briefly)
getting ready to play
Well, I finally “met” a gallery of art work where Mr. Camera was not welcome. No big deal, though, as I was able to gaze upon my Beloved Peavine from the top of the Nevada Museum of Art (without having had to pay the usual $10 entrance fee required of non-members). A very large crowd gathered in front of the museum and we were divided into groups, with colored stickers to organize us. Being attired with a blue sticker, I was to go with the group that was going to participate in an art class upstairs.
It looked like they were going to be given an art print to draw copies of, using something like a grid system that would be placed on top of the art piece to be copied.
Anyway, us adults really weren’t required to stay with our tour groups so I roamed the spacious, very modern looking hallways (and wide and winding stairways) on my own. And, found (from inside) something to photograph: the view through a window.
I did look very quickly and casually at a couple of galleries, but I knew from the start my interest was going to be in getting up to the roof.
Jai Peavine!
A large number of children were out front, engaged in a colloborative creative project.
Next month I will probably become a member of the Museum; only $35 a month (with other levels, at higher prices, providing more membership benefits).
A large crowd again flocked to Wingfield Park tonight and quickly moved into that “one meditation” place that Bob Marley often talked about. The catalyst was the Jamaican reggae music of the Wailing Souls, first to play in this year’s World Music Series at Wingfield Park. And, later that night, Roger Steffens presented “The Life of Bob Marley” with film and photos projected on the amphitheater backdrop while he narrated.
And, then later in the evening, the Bob Marley presentation:
We will let the pictures tell the story.
Lara Alberti; “Time Period”
Pan Pantoja; “The Stone Family”
Note: both artists have many more pieces than this on display.
A good sized crowd of participating kids and parents, and onlookers, visited the McKinley Arts and Culture Center this morning for an introductory taste of dance movements under the guidance of Abby, a member of the Wing and A Prayer Dance Company.
Her first order of business was to go to each individual in this circle, have them introduce themselves, and then get them to demonstrate a spontaneous movement which everyone in the circle was then to mimic:
And, then she had everyone sit down and guided them in movements of specific parts of the body:
And, then from a standing position:
